Digital Extra: The Station Fire

A spokeswoman for the TV station said the nightclub fire presents "such a tragic story" and "raises many safety concerns."

10:36 AM EST on Friday, December 16, 2005

BY EDWARD FITZPATRICK
Journal Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE -- Court TV yesterday asked for permission to televise the criminal trial of Daniel M. Biechele, the former Great White tour manager who shot off the pyrotechnics that sparked The Station nightclub fire.

Earlier this week, state Superior Court Judge Francis J. Darigan Jr. scheduled Biechele's trial for May 1.

And yesterday, Court TV sent letters via Federal Express to Darigan, Superior Court Presiding Justice Joseph F. Rodgers Jr., Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch and Biechele's lawyer, Thomas G. Briody, seeking approval to televise the trial.

Court TV News spokeswoman Andie Silvers explained the channel's interest, saying, "It's such a tragic story. It raises many safety concerns. And people will be interested in the outcome of the trial. People will want to see who a jury will decide is accountable."

Silvers said recent trial coverage on Court TV News includes the Saddam Hussein trial and the civil trial of actor Robert Blake, who was found liable for his wife's murder.

Judge Rodgers said Briody requested a chance to be heard on the matter before Judge Darigan decides whether to grant the request. Briody, a defense lawyer who spent 10 years in TV news, declined to comment yesterday.

Biechele is to be the first of three defendants to stand trial for the February 2003 blaze, which killed 100 people and injured more than 200 others. Biechele's trial is to be followed by separate trials for Michael Derderian and then Jeffrey Derderian -- the brothers who owned the West Warwick nightclub.

The three defendants face 200 counts each of involuntary manslaughter under two separate legal theories for each of the 100 people who died. A pretrial conference in Biechele's case is set for Jan. 20.

Michael J. Healey, a spokesman for the attorney general, said, "There are a lot of considerations in televising a trial like this one. We'll be thinking about those considerations as we go forward and looking to the court for guidance."